View full sizeMiranda Lambert, the CMA female vocalist of the year, follows her hubby Blake Shelton to the hallowed halls -- er, lawn and pavilion -- of Blossom Music Center with a show Saturday night.AP file

Miranda Lambert burst onto the country music scene on the reality show “Nashville Star” in 2003. She didn’t win, which proves that those shows really aren’t very reliable, as the little girl from the Piney Woods of East Texas is now the hottest thing going.

Lambert is a multiple Grammy Award winner, for “The House that Built Me” and a duet with hubby Blake Shelton, “Over You.” She’s also the female vocalist of the year in the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, among other things.

The lady who plays Blossom Music Center Saturday night is a busy woman, what with her solo career and the red-hot trio Pistol Annies (Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley), which is why she, like Shelton, had to do their tour press via email. There’s just no time even for 10-minute calls.

Here’s that e-conversation.

Q: Where are you?

A: In Bristow, Va., playing a show tonight.

Q: You have this GREAT solo career going. Why add the Pistol Annies to your plate?

A: Thanks! I love my solo career and writing for a new album right now, that hopefully will make it to the fans early 2014. The Annies came together organically, and it’s fun. Hard to say “no” to that.

Q: Are there things from being part of that trio that you take to your solo career?

A: It appears that there are truly many different musical directions that I love, write about and sing about, and this is a way for me to explore them.

Q: Does having a group give you an option when it comes to songs, where you say, “This doesn’t work for me, but MAN would it be a great Pistol Annies tune!”?

A: Depending on the mood and the circumstances, I am able to focus on one or the other. I had written a song a while ago called “Trailer for Rent,” but I didn’t think the vibe fit on my last solo album. When we were writing for the Pistol Annies project, Ashley remembered that song of mine and it made sense for that project.

Q: I just did an interview -- email, just like this one -- with the Eagles’ Don Henley, and we talked a little about the East Texas/Piney Woods influence on him. Talk a little about that, please.

A: Most of my influence truly came from my parents. While growing up, my dad played guitar and wrote some songs, and there was always music in our house. Mostly Merle Haggard, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn. My mom loved Aretha Franklin, and we had tons of R&B mixed in with that, too.

Q: Also, Henley told me you and fellow East Texan Lee Ann Womack appeared on his upcoming solo album. Please tell me about the song you did, who wrote it, what it was like to work with him, and how it all came about.

A: That’s great news; I actually hadn't heard that it made it on there. It was a bit scary -- I mean, he is one of the EAGLES!

Q: You’ve had a tremendous amount of success in a really short time. What’s been the biggest surprise for you, and the biggest challenge?

A: I feel I have been honing my craft since I was 17, and with all the recording and touring I have been doing for the past 10 years, it appears that I have built a fan base large enough that keeps wanting me to create more music. I think even if they stopped coming to shows or stopped buying my music, I would still make it; it’s part of who I am.

Q: Obviously, the money is better, but are there times you miss playing bars and the up-close contact with fans?

A: I still play some bars; one of my favorites is Joe's Bar in Chicago!

Q: What’s been the biggest challenge of going from smaller theaters to arenas and amphitheaters?

A: I love playing smaller rooms as I can see everyone in the crowd. I have learned to work a bigger stage and larger audience over the years, and it’s fun, too, when thousands of fans sing along to every word of a song you wrote.

Q: So, when was the last time you made a beer run to Big Sandy? You may remember I’m from Gilmer. (Gilmer and Lambert’s hometown, Lindale, both are in deep East Texas. Both were in dry counties, and Big Sandy had the nearest liquor store to both.)

A: It’s been a while since I had to make that run to Big Sandy, and I am sure you know Winona [a town closer to Lindale] went wet! In addition, as times are changing, my family opened a winery in downtown Lindale, and now we make wine runs instead of beer runs.

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